The Lucky One
by quickssalgron13
Summary: Puck is in the army and a discovery saves his life. Now out of the army, he sets off in search for Quinn, for his guardian angel. Things aren't as easy or simple as they seem, what with Quinn's complicated life. Will they find their way back to each other or will fate simply not be enough? Loosely based on The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks.
1. Chapter 1

_**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**_

_**A/N: loosely based on the film The Lucky One starring Zac Efron. The Lucky One is also a song by Taylor Swift and most of y'all know by now that I'm pretty much obsessed with her. So I couldn't pass up on this idea.**_

_**I hope you enjoy..**_

* * *

It was during a night raid. Noah Puckerman had been in the army for six years after Finn had passed away. The air force had held some sort of allure at first, but the army was his place. He had friends, loyal comrades that would die for him, as he would for them. It was like he had a new family over in Afghanistan, a family that he had opened up to. They knew every thing about him and about his past and none of them judged him for it. Not for sleeping with his best friend's girlfriend, for getting her pregnant, for loving her. Not for sleeping with Shelby in hope of getting closer to Beth. He liked not being the loser, not being the one people expected to cause trouble and screw things up for them. It was a first.

They were hiding out in an underground Taliban premises, having had a tip that several terrorist attacks were being devised there. He and Tony were the closest to the group of Taliban men, and it was a miracle that when shots began to fire, they weren't taken out right there and then. They took out as many of the terrorists as they could, before the walls and the ceilings of the hide away began to crumble, meaning they had to flee or otherwise be crushed by falling rubble and debris.

Puck ran as fast as he could, helping out Steven who had been shot in the leg. There were more of them than there were of the terrorists and it should have been simple and easy for them to escape unscathed and alive.

Should have been.

He bundled Steven into the waiting army vehicle and was about to climb in himself when something caught his eye, the sunlight shining and bouncing off of the laminated surface. It was almost as if he had been compelled to do so, but he had to go and collect it from the rubble. Something so shiny and special shouldn't be left to be buried away beneath dust and rocks. So he ran across the sand, ignoring the shouts of his teammates, bullets soaring through the air above his head, splintering the rocks they eventually hit. It was a suicide mission in some people's minds, and maybe it was, but something inside him told him to get that shining object. Puck dropped to his knees to pluck the laminated photo from the rubble, wiping it clean on his army patterned trousers, squinting to try to make out who was in the picture.

No. It couldn't be, could it?

Why would a picture of Quinn Fabray be out here in Afghanistan, waiting for him to find? Why would a picture of the woman that still haunted his thoughts and dreams be anywhere near a terrorist location?

He got slowly to his feet and held the picture closer to his face, trying to assess and evaluate the picture, trying to see if it really was Quinn. It looked like her. Puck couldn't help but smile, stroking his thumb over her smiling face, the yells of his friends not registering until it was too late. He was too captivated by the woman that had stolen his heart nine years ago.

So it was only fitting that Quinn was the last thing he saw before the grenade exploded, sending him flying through the air.

* * *

"Oh look, the tin man is finally awake," Tony teased, leaning over Puck with a grin. The whole of their section had taken to calling Puck the tin man after he survived the grenade without limbs missing. He had to be made of metal to survive that when so many others didn't.

"Hmm, I sure didn't miss your ugly face while I was out," Puck smiled, blinking his eyes a few times to clear away the haze, the confusion, the lingering blur of his vision

"Seriously, do you have some metal skeleton that we don't know of or something? How did you survive that?" Steven asked from the bed beside him, his leg wrapped up in a bandage.

Ah, so he was in the army's hospital.

"No, just this," Puck mumbled, slipping his hand into his pocket as he pushed himself up on his elbows, fishing the picture out to show them. He was glad it was still in his pocket, that it hadn't been taken whilst his body had been examined by the nurses.

"She's a pretty little thing, I haven't seen her before," Tony commented, leaning closer to see the picture. "Is this what you went running through the terrorists for? That's a small prize for a suicide mission, dude."

"It caught my eye, I couldn't leave it there," Puck shrugged, groaning a little at the pain in his shoulder from doing so. Well, he couldn't escape a grenade completely unscathed, could he? There was no need to tell his friends that it was Quinn in the picture, that he'd risked his life for a picture of the woman who wanted nothing to do with him.

"You've got yourself a guardian angel there, son. Keep her safe," the captain advised, smiling over at them. He had heard of how Puck had saved Steven and then risked his life for a picture. In his opinion, the boy had a screw loose in his mind, but it was admirable.

"Mmm, where are we going?" Puck asked, suddenly noticing that they were moving, that he was strapped to a stretcher by a black belt. Was he on a plane? Or was it a boat? He honestly couldn't tell the difference at this point.

"Home, son. You're going home."

* * *

It felt strange to be back in America, to be back in Lima. The cars speeding by were a far cry from the army tanks and rovers crunching across the sand and stones. It would take him a while to get used to civilization again and he wasn't so sure yet if he liked being back. Wasn't so sure if home was home to him anymore.

His bags would have been heavy enough to bring another man to the floor, but he was used to carrying heavy things, so he barely felt the weight of them as he walked down the sidewalk of the street he had grown up on. There were children screaming and yelling as they chased each other and for a moment he was taken back to the dessert, children screaming as Taliban men stormed through the villages, bullets raining down on them faster than any rain storm could ever.

Puck shook his head to clear away those thoughts, continuing down the street towards his house, his old basketball net still hanging above the rusting garage doors. His little sister was sprawled out in the grass and he couldn't help but smile as she turned her head towards him and beamed at him.

"Noah!" Katie cried, jumping to her feet and running down the garden path to him. She threw herself into his arms, holding tight to him, his heavy bags dropping to the floor. Her mom had said Noah was coming home, but she hadn't really believed her until now.

"Hey, munchkin, look at how big you've gotten!" Puck grinned, hugging her tight. It hadn't really hit him until now how much he had missed his little sister. He had always passed up on the opportunity to come home, deciding he was needed more in the army. The last time he had been home on leave was three years ago, and he really didn't want to dwell on that.

"You haven't come home in years, idiot. Of course I'm bigger," she sighed, rolling her eyes and tightening her hold on him. She had missed him so much.

"Noah, your room is set up," Marie smiled, stepping out onto the front porch. She had missed her son dearly but she knew better than to smother him with affection. He would talk when he was ready, something which Carole Hudson had explained to her, having first hand experience from both her dead husband and Finn.

"Thanks, mom," he smiled, picking his bags up and heading into the house he had lived in all his life. For some reason, it just didn't feel like home any more. Not in the least, and he found himself wondering what to do with himself. So eventually, he just took himself off to his room, locking the door behind him and collapsing onto his bed with a sigh. He missed the army already, but he knew it was best for him and for others for him to be home now, instead.

Tony and Steven had also been let go, though he knew they would be happier than he was. They had wives, children, a family. All he had was a daughter he hadn't seen in seven years and her mother who had slept with him the last time he was on leave and then left him during the night. He still had the picture and he knew he should probably toss it out, like the blonde had done to him, but he just couldn't do it. She was his guardian angel, just like Steven had said.

He owed her and in that moment, he decided he would do everything he could to find her and thank her for saving him.

* * *

"So is it good to be back?" Sam asked, setting down the beers on the table. The glee club had heard he was back and had all gathered at breadstix for a catch up. Well, almost all of them. Of course Quinn wasn't there. She was never there.

"I don't know yet, it's different, strange. It's gonna take a lot of getting used to I think, but it'll be fine," Puck shrugged, bringing his beer to his lips and taking a long gulp of it. God, he had missed beer.

"Finn said the same, but I guess it's different for you. You've been in the army for years," Rachel smiled, reaching across the table to squeeze his hand. She was doing better now, coping better with the loss of Finn. At least she wasn't hiding away from men any more. She was back with Jesse, but this time no one really objected. They just wanted her to be happy again.

"It's just certain noises bring it all back," Puck admitted, looking around at his friends. They all looked so different, mature, grown up. It was strange, but at least Santana's love for tight clothing hadn't changed. He was glad of some things still being the same.

"Is it true you survived a grenade?" Tina asked, awe clear to hear in her voice, the glee club leaning in closer to hear better. They all clearly wanted to know.

"Yeah, I guess I have a guardian angel or something," he shrugged, keeping the fact that he had found Quinn's picture to himself. He didn't need their interference, or their judgment. Try as they may, none of them understood what the army was really like to be in.

"You're the lucky one, alright," Mike grinned, clapping him on the back before turning back to Tina, rubbing her swollen stomach lovingly. It made him think of the nights he had spent cuddled up to Quinn's baby bump, and he quickly shook the thought from his head.

This was why Lima was bad for him. Every thing reminded him of them, of Quinn and Beth, his girls. Only they weren't _his _girls anymore. Maybe they never really had been.

"Yeah, lucky," he nodded, finishing off his beer and heading over to the bar, ordering Jack Daniels. He needed something a hell of a lot stronger than beer tonight. Maybe Lima had been a bad, bad idea for him to come home to.

"Army or air force?" A man asked beside him, scars clear to see along his arms. The scars he had earned fighting for his country. Battle scars, better than any medal he could ask for.

"Army. You?" Puck asked, handing over the money for his drink. It felt good to be around someone that understood exactly how it felt, how he was affected by the things he had seen at war.

"Army. Iraq. It's strange to be home, huh? What happened to you? I was shot during an attack from the terrorist bastards," the man sighed, cracking his knuckles and taking a long, fortifying gulp of his whiskey.

"Afghanistan. Grenade exploded a few metres away during a Taliban raid," Puck smiled, shaking his head and gulping down the alcohol. He was going to need it. Being drunk or passed out tonight would be better than the nightmares.

"Wow, are you made of steel or what?" The man laughed, causing Puck to laugh also. His mother had cried when he told her what happened and it felt good to talk about his experiences without having to spare other's feelings all the time.

"The tin man is what they called me. But I think it was more this than me being made of tin. I found it during the raid, right before the grenade went off. I should have died, didn't," he shrugged, pushing the picture of Quinn across the bar to the man who smiled and picked it up.

"A guardian angel, huh? You should find her, let her know what happened," he suggested with a grin. "I know for a fact that the water tower behind her is the one in Hamden, Louisiana. My son and his wife have a house not far from there."

"Louisiana? This is Louisiana?" Puck asked, a flicker of excitement in his stomach but also a shred of nervousness, of fear. Did he want to find Quinn? Did he want to face her after all these years.

"Uh huh," the man nodded, pulling his phone out to show Puck a picture of his son, the exact same water tower in the background. It was definitely the right one, there was no mistaking it. "That girl came into your life for a reason. Things like that don't just happen, son. This happened for a reason."

"How am I supposed to explain something that I don't even understand myself?" Puck asked, stuffing the picture in his pocket. What was he supposed to do? Just show up on Quinn's doorstep and tell her he found her photo in Afghanistan? Tell her she saved his life? Like that wouldn't chase her further away.

"You got yourself a guardian angel, I say you owe her."

Apparently fate played a big hand in his life these days.

* * *

"Do you have to leave, Noah? You just got back," Katie pouted, leaning against his car as he tossed his bags into the backseat. She understood that it was probably hard for him to be home, but she thought it would be easier if he was at home with family rather than out with strangers.

"I know but right now, it's better for me to be out and about rather than stuck at home. But hey, I'll call you as much as I can, ok?" Puck smiled, ruffling her hair just to annoy her before hugging her close.

"If you get tired, you best pull over for a motel, Noah," Marie warned, stepping up to pull him close, hugging him tight to her chest. Her sweet little boy. He was a hero, a much better man than his father could ever hope to be.

"I know, mom. I'll be fine, trust me. I love you," he murmured, hugging her back before pulling away, taking one last look at his childhood home before getting into his car and starting the engine.

He could see his mom and sister waving him goodbye as he pulled away from the house, offering them a wave in return before heading down the street, the windows rolled down to allow the cool air into the warm interior of the car. Mayne going to Louisiana was a bad idea, maybe he would live to regret this but he knew what he would regret more would be if he never attempted to see Quinn, to see how she was and to tell her what had happened over in Afghanistan.

"Louisiana will be fun, huh, bud?" Puck asked with a grin, looking over at the dog sat in the passenger seat, his head hanging out of the window.

Duke barked in response and he took that as a hell yeah, turning up the radio.

Hell yeah.

* * *

"Fuck!" Puck swore, pulling over at the side of the road. There was nothing around for miles and the last time he had seen a car was twenty minutes ago. So now he was stuck with a broken down car and no mobile reception.

Maybe Duke's bark had been one of warning instead.

The next town wasn't for another ten miles and he had no way to contact a towing service because of the lack of reception in this hick town. He was stranded. Puck sighed and got out of the car, whistling at Duke who followed obediently, jumping out of the car. He grabbed his bags and slung them onto his back, locking his car before gesturing for Duke to follow him. There was no help that would find them there, so he might as well find some himself. It wasn't like he wasn't used to hiking and Duke was far from lazy, so they didn't struggle at all to walk towards the next town. It was actually quite peaceful and relaxing to just walk, with nothing but his dog and the fresh countryside air.

Maybe this hick town wasn't so bad after all.

Duke let out a bark, pulling Puck from his thoughts as they approached what looked like some kind of animal sanctuary or something. There were plenty of dogs running around behind the fences, and he could see chickens and goats pottering around in the distance. This place looked pretty safe, peaceful, home like.

Puck whistled for Duke to follow him as he headed towards what looked like a small reception or office, figuring he could at least use their phone or buy a map or something. It looked like the kind of place that specialized in all that southern hospitality stuff.

The reception was small, the floors wooden and the walls painted a dark red. There were crochet pictures framed on the walls, along with several posters of animals and other home like portraits. It was pretty cute actually, and he could actually see himself living in a place like this. Maybe he should set up one of these places himself.

He found a rack of maps in the corner and headed over for them, searching for a map labelled Hamden. It couldn't be too hard to find, he thought as he rifled through the maps, Duke sat obediently by his side.

Footsteps sounded behind him, followed by the sound of the door closing and a chair scraping across the floor. Clearly whoever owned this place had seen him arrive.

"Hey, do you guys have a map for Hamden?" Puck asked, turning on his heel to see the owner, figuring it would be easier to ask for help, his jaw dropping in shock at who sat behind the desk looking as if she had just seen a ghost.

"Puck?" Quinn whispered, her voice breaking a little, shock clear to see in her eyes at the sight of him.

Maybe it was fate after all.

* * *

_**I hope this wasn't too sloppy and/or crappy for a first chapter. The Lucky One is probably one of my favourite films ever. I mean hello Zac Efron ;)**_

_**Please review and have a wonderful day :)**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**Disclaimer: still don't own anything but an obsession with Quick. And Taylor Swift. Bye.**_

_**A/N: thank you so much for the reviews last chapter! You're amazing!**_

_**For those of you that read all of my stories, tomorrow is my first day of college so updates might be a little slower than usual.**_

* * *

Quinn stared at Puck as if she had seen a ghost, not truly believing it was him. What was he of all people doing in Hamden, Louisiana? It wasn't real, couldn't be real. He couldn't be here. Puck seemed just as surprised to see her and she wondered for a second if this was just a cruel, cosmic joke being played on them.

"Quinn," Puck smiled, stepping up to the desk, an unreadable look on his face. She looked wonderful, amazing and just as beautiful as she'd always been. He was glad to see her, glad that she hadn't yelled at him to leave as of yet.

"What are you doing here?" Quinn whispered, biting down on her lip. This wasn't good for her, he couldn't be here. There was too much past there, past she had fought so hard to forget, to leave behind. "Where did you come from?"

"I came here because of this," he started, pulling his wallet out and rifling through the papers he had stuffed in there, trying to find the picture before she kicked him out and turned into Scary Quinn. Not that he was scared of that, it was actually pretty hot when she got angry with him, but right now he just wanted to talk to her.

"Oh, you saw the advert?" She asked, sighing in relief and getting up from her seat, pulling a folder down from the shelf on the wall. "It's not much, you'll be walking the dogs, feeding them, cleaning cages. We don't pay much, but that's the job. We just need some help, Puck," she sighed, pushing the flyer towards him. She didn't particularly want to hire him, but they needed help, and she knew he was good with dogs. He could help without causing too much upheaval, right?

Puck frowned a little, putting his wallet back in his pocket and picking up the flyer. A job had been the last thing on his mind, but it would give him something to whilst he came up with something to do with his life. And besides, maybe getting to know Quinn again before he told her about the picture was the best idea. "Can I borrow your pen?" He asked, admiring the a light blush that coloured her cheeks as she hurriedly grabbed for a pen. She was nervous around him.

"So where have you been? How did you get here?" She wondered, leaning against the desk a little in her interest. It had been three years since she last saw him and there hadn't been much talking then. They were too needy for each other's bodies for that.

"I've been in Afghanistan, infiltrating the Taliban camps. There were a few shoot outs, an explosion and that was that. I walked here. I like to walk," he shrugged, filling in his details as best he could, taking a little longer than necessary, so he could keep talking to her.

"You walked?" She asked, her eyebrow flicking up at him, her jaw clenching for a moment, her eyes clouding over before she cleared her throat. "You know what? Just leave your number and we'll get back to you," she smiled, though he could tell it was false as she looked away quickly, heading outside.

"Who was it?" Quinn's grandmother, Gloria, asked with a smile as she helped one of the dogs into its cage. She had heard the bell of the door ring, and Quinn usually spent longer than that talking to a customer.

"There's a man here for the job and I can't get rid of him," Quinn whispered quickly, leaning her weight against the fence. She didn't want Puck here, didn't want him to work here, live here, be here. "I need you to get him to leave."

Gloria stared at her granddaughter for a moment before nodding, handing the dog lead over to Quinn before heading for the reception, wondering who it was that had managed to piss off the usually polite blonde. The man waiting in the reception didn't look crazy, or dangerous, or rude. In fact, he looked a lot like the man Quinn had been with in high school, the father of her daughter. No, it didn't look like him, it was him. "My granddaughter seems to think you're crazy, son. I hope this isn't an attempt to get back into my granddaughter's pants."

"No ma'am! I was just looking for work, peaceful work. My last job was anything but," he shrugged, frowning a little as Duke began to growl, flicking his fingers out, the dog instantly quieting. "Quiet, Duke," he murmured, the dog staying quiet.

"Impressive," Gloria smiled, nodding to the dog. "Where was your last job?" She asked, kneeling down to stroke and pet Duke, ruffling his fair.

"Afghanistan. I was in the army," he explained, glancing out of the window, watching Quinn play with the dogs for a second before returning his attention to her grandmother.

"That makes sense. Well, you look like you're good with dogs, you're strong. So, if you want the job, it's yours," she offered, a kind smile on her face leaving him wondering if she was Judy's mother or Russell's. She understood now because of his former occupation why her granddaughter didn't want him here. It wasn't because of their past, which she was glad of. She had spent too much time comforting Quinn over the things she had done in her past.

Puck thought for a moment, a smirk pulling at his lips. "I'll take it," He nodded, handing her the form he had filled out.

"We have a cabin out back, you can take that. I would invite you to stay in the guest room, but Quinn is a little picky lately. Must be her time of the month," Gloria joked, winking at him and ruffling Duke's fur before heading back outside, Quinn hovering nervously by the dog cages. Her granddaughter needed to lighten up and so she figured having Puck here would be the first step. She couldn't keep on running or hiding from her past.

"How did you get rid of him?" Quinn asked, spotting Puck walking across the yard, his dog trotting alongside him. She had to admit Puck did look good, really _really _good actually. She loved the full head of hair he was sporting now, and she could tell he had more muscles than before from the way his shirt clung to his body. The attraction was still there even if the feelings weren't, and that was exactly why Puck had to go. She couldn't get involved with him again. Not now, not ever.

"I gave him the job."

* * *

"Ben! Baby, your Daddy is here!" Quinn called up the stairs, handing her son's school bag to Biff who was leant against the doorway, clad in his sheriff uniform.

Quinn had married Biff just after she turned twenty, after finding out that she was expecting Ben. Biff was the captain of the water polo team in college, and his dad was the mayor. She had foolishly thought that meant she and her child would be cared for. Biff had married her and at first it was great, and she really had loved him, until she found out that despite them being married, he was still dating and sleeping with other women. Clearly, marriage didn't hold the same principles for him as it did for her. So when Ben turned three, she filed for divorce, fighting as hard as she could to keep custody of her baby boy. It was hard and at times she had broken down in tears at the thought of losing her son, but at the last minute, Biff told the courts he wanted joint custody. Even though they were no longer married, she still lived under his thumb, under the threat of him taking her son away from her.

"I told him not to call me that. He's almost six, Quinn. He doesn't need to be smothered by attention all the time," Biff sighed, rolling his eyes at his former wife. How was he supposed to have a son if she kept mothering him like that, turning Ben into some sort of pansy.

"Mommy, I can't find my violin," Ben frowned, running down the stairs to her, his books in hand to put into the schoolbag his dad was holding.

"That's fine, Benny, you know how I hate that awful racket anyway," Biff shrugged, taking the books from his son and heading for the car, not stopping to see if they were following him. Violin, really? His son should be playing football and baseball, not playing the violin like a little girl. He would have to have another talk with Quinn, it seemed.

"I put your violin in the car already, baby," Quinn murmured to her son as she helped him into his coat, kneeling before him to zip it up. She wished Biff would give Ben a break, but then again if she said anything, he would just take her baby away anyway.

"Dad hates it when I practice in the house," Ben sighed, picking his bag up and slinging it over his shoulder with a defeated sigh, letting his mother lead him down the porch steps. The last time he had tried to practice in his bedroom at his dad's house, he had threatened to snap the instrument in two. "Dad says big boys don't play violins."

"Well then practice on the porch," Quinn joked, ruffling his hair before pulling him into her arms, kissing his hair as he hugged her back, his little arms tight around her waist. She hated it when Biff took Ben to school, because it would be at least ten at night before she got her baby back. It wasn't a suitable time at all, but she couldn't protest. Biff and his family had enough connections in town to ruin her and her son. And they had already, as Biff had caused her to lose her job as a teacher at the elementary school. "You're my big boy, ok? You're special," she murmured, kissing his cheeks.

"Say, Momma, who's that?" Ben asked, pointing out at Puck who was transferring bags of dog food from the back of a truck to a pile by the shed. He hadn't seen him before, but his dog was awesome!

"Oh, that's just somebody that Nana hired. I'll see you when you get home ok?" she asked, kissing him again before letting him run to climb into his father's car. "I love you," she called, waving at her son who waved back at her, grinning happily. God, she loved her baby's smile.

"I love you, too Mommy!" Ben called before slamming the door shut, fastening his seatbelt as Biff started the engine, waving at his mom again as the car pulled away, leaving behind a cloud of dust.

Quinn watched until she couldn't see the car anymore before sighing and looking away, her stomach clenching as she made eye contact with Puck who was watching her with the same look he had always given her, the look that made her feel naked around him. She wasn't in the mood to handle him or his concerned gaze, turning on her heel and heading back inside, letting the door slam shut behind her.

Puck sighed and went back to work, slinging the heavy bags of dog food over his shoulder and carrying them into the shed. That little boy looked too much like Quinn to not be her son and he guessed the cop was the father. It was stupid of him to think she wouldn't move on from him, to think she would be here waiting for him. He just hoped that whatever was going on there, that she was happy.

* * *

"The Jensen family picked Maisie up about five minutes ago," Quinn smiled, walking into the kitchen, her eyes darting over to the window, rolling her eyes to see Puck had somehow fixed the broken truck and was now riding around on it, moving things around the yard that needed moving, like the tree that had fallen a few days ago. "Does he have an off switch?"

"I sure hope not," Gloria smirked, finishing up drying the dishes and beginning to put them into the cupboards. "It wouldn't do you any harm to talk to him, you know. You can't be scared of him forever."

"I'm not scared of him," Quinn argued, narrowing her eyes and crossing her arms tight across her chest. Why would she be scared of a man she hadn't seen in three years? That was stupid. She just didn't particularly feel like talking to him.

"Really? You've always been scared of him, Quinn. Scared because he's the one man that made you feel something. He's not trying to marry you or anything, so what's the harm in going out there and saying hi to him? He is working here, and he will be for a long time judging on how easily he trained the pups up. You better get used to it," Gloria told her with a pointed look before leaving the kitchen, Quinn sighing and glancing back out at Puck again.

No, she wasn't going there.

* * *

"Hey, do you know where these go?" Puck asked, coming up behind the blonde who was sat down on the piles of hay in the barn. He wanted to talk to her about the picture, but at this point she wouldn't even talk to him about the weather, so he wasn't even going to attempt it yet. There was something about the army that had set her off, he had figured that out whilst fixing the tractor. Quinn had seemed pretty happy to see him until he mentioned Afghanistan and her gran said it made sense why she didn't want him around. He just didn't know what it was about the army that was making her hate him.

Quinn looked up sharply at the sound of his voice, sighing before nodding her head towards the corner of the barn, closing her lips around her cigarette again. She didn't smoke often, hardly ever actually, but lately it had become a stress thing. There was just something about the glowing end of the white cancer stick that soothed her, blowing the smoke out into the air with a sigh.

"Since when do you smoke?" he frowned, setting the water buckets down on the floor, glancing over at the blonde. There was something about the way she was sat by the window that made him think her beauty was timeless. Like he could put her anywhere in time and she would be just as beautiful.

"I don't, or not much, anyway. Its a stress thing," she muttered in response, holding the smoke in her mouth for a moment as she sucked in again before blowing it out. He wouldn't understand, he never did.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked, coming over to sit by her in the hay, watching the smoke billowing from the end of the stick between her fingers, her eyes landing on his. God, he loved her eyes.

Quinn snorted in response and took another pull of smoke, letting it out and watching it dance in the air. "You really don't want to hear it, Puck. You don't want to hear about my divorce or the way the legal battles over my son have crippled the business and my savings. You really don't need to hear about any of it," she sighed, shaking her head and looking out of the window.

"So he is your son," Puck muttered, pursing his lips for a moment. It kind of hurt to know she had slept with someone else, gotten pregnant by that man and had a child that wasn't his. "How old is he?"

"Almost six," she murmured, a small smile tugging at her lips, a hint of pride in her words. Her son was her world and she wouldn't trade him for anything or anyone. She wouldn't change a thing. Well, there was one thing she would change. She would have Beth with her too if she could, but there was no way that would happen.

"Beth is almost ten," he sighed, leaning back against the wall of the barn, breathing in the smoke that had left her lips, letting the poison into his body. It was pretty ironic, actually, that she was the one providing the poison for him to breathe in.

"Don't. Please, don't. I don't want to talk about her," Quinn whispered, shaking her head and taking another long drag from her cigarette. "I can't."

"Ok, we won't talk about her," he told her quickly, reaching out to touch her knee, squeezing lightly to comfort her. "Why don't we talk about something else? How did you end up here of all places?" he asked, noting the small smile she gave him in gratitude.

"I had nowhere else to go," she told him simply, smiling to show him it wasn't a bad thing that she was here. "I found out a few things my parents had hidden from me, and I had to get away. So I came here, transferred from Yale to the community college, and came to my gran. She's my mom's mom, in case you wondered. I met Biff a couple weeks later and before I knew it I was pregnant and married."

"Wow. Well, I'm glad you're happy. I'm gonna get back to work," he sighed, pulling himself up and dusting off his jeans.

"No, don't. Stay here, lets talk," she smiled, dropping her cigarette to the floor and putting it out with the toe of her shoe, shifting over to leave him room to sit down beside her. It had been months since she had someone other than her gran to talk to.

"Ok, well, there's actually something I've been wanting to talk to you about," he started, sitting down next to her and pulling his wallet out of his pocket, Quinn watching with interest as he rifled through it, the blonde leaning a little closer to see, so close he could feel her breasts against his arm.

His fingers had just touched the laminated edge of the picture when Quinn's phone rang out loudly, the blonde leaping to her feet to find it in the hay, answering it quickly.

"Hello?" Quinn asked, holding her finger up to Puck to tell him she would just be a minute. She really wanted to know what it was that he wanted to talk to her about.

"Is this Ben's mother? This is the principal, I'm going to need you to come and pick up your son," the principal sighed, Quinn frowning a little. Ben had never been in trouble at school before.

"Yes, I'm his mom, what's happened?" she asked, shaking her head at Puck and leaving the barn quickly. Yes, she wanted to know what Puck had to say but Ben came first. Her baby had never had to be picked up from school before, and she was seriously worried about her son.

"There's been a fight between Ben and a few other children. I'll explain further when you arrive," the principal told her, looking over at Ben who sat slumped in a seat, swinging his feet back and forth sadly.

"Oh God, I'm on my way," she told her before jumping into her car and starting the engine, heading off to the school.

* * *

"Benny? What happened?" Quinn asked, hurrying into the office, dropping to her knees before her little boy, stroking along his bruised cheek, biting her lip hard to fight the urge to find whoever it was that hurt her baby and hurt them back.

"They tried to take my violin, Momma. I told them to stop it, and they just laughed at me. Daddy told me to hit someone if they were making me mad, but that's bad, right? Johnny hit me though, so I hit him back like Daddy said to," Ben sniffled, holding his Mom's hand to his cheek. "Don't be mad at me, Mommy."

"Oh, baby. I'm not mad at you, ok?" Quinn sighed, closing her eyes and resting her head in her hands for a moment before looking to the Principal. "How long is he suspended for?" she asked, knowing it was inevitable that her son would be suspended for fighting. It was typical Biff, teaching their son that violence was the answer.

"Two days. Ben didn't start the fight, but he was still involved," she sighed, offering her a sympathetic smile, handing Ben a small red book. "Mrs Jefferson left you some work to do over your suspension, Ben."

"I'm sorry, Mommy," Ben whispered, holding the book in his hands, taking hold of Quinn's hand in his. He didn't want her to mad at him, too.

"I know, baby. Why don't you go wait in the car for me," Quinn sighed, pressing her keys into her son's hand. She wasn't angry with him, it was Biff she angry at. How could he think it was sensible to teach a five year old to fight those that angered him?

Ben nodded and ran out of the office, clearly glad to escape from the school, something which made Quinn's heart ache in her chest. He was such a sweet, wonderful child and it hurt to know others were bullying him. Maybe Biff was right, maybe she was a bad mother, maybe not having a male influence in the house twenty four hours a day was hurting her baby. God, she hated feeling like she wasn't enough.

"Don't blame yourself, Quinn. Boys are boys, there will always be little arguments here and there. Have you considered maybe coming back to work here? Jenny is going on maternity leave soon, and it would leave you the whole second grade class to teach. The children miss you," the principal told the blonde as they walked towards the exit of the school, Quinn carrying Ben's violin case.

"I'm not so sure. I'll think about it. Thank you for the offer, though," Quinn smiled before making her way to the car, seeing Ben was ready to go in the passenger seat. She would love to go back to work as a teacher again, but the last time she had, someone had told Biff she was dating one of the male teachers and that was that, Biff using his connections to have her removed from the school. Biff had more than enough power to ruin her career completely, so he she had to tread carefully.

"Is the man Nana hired still at home?" Ben asked as Quinn got into the car, taking his violin from her and hugging it to his chest. He really didn't want his mother to be angry with him, reaching over to take hold of her hand. "I love you, Mommy."

"Yes, he's still there, baby," Quinn sighed, squeezing his small hand in hers. "I love you too, Benny. I'm not mad at you sweetheart, not at all," she promised him, leaning across the car to kiss his little cheek before starting the engine. Ben was all that mattered and she lived to hear him call her Mommy.

"Good, cause I love you too much for you to be mad at me."

* * *

"That's the guy Nana hired, right?" Ben asked as they pulled up outside the house, pointing out at Puck who was sat on the porch of the old cabin, a guitar in his lap.

"Yes, sweetie, that's him," Quinn nodded, cutting the engine. It confused her why her son seemed so fascinated by having Puck here, but then again they very rarely had visitors.

"Am I allowed to talk to him?" he asked, popping his belt, adjusting his case in his lap. Maybe the new guy could show him how to play guitar, too.

"Of course, baby. I'm sure he would love to talk to you," Quinn replied, biting her lip as they got out of the car, closing and locking the doors. She wasn't so sure she was happy with her son being around Puck, or that her ex would be comfortable with her son. But she couldn't tell Ben that.

"I'm going to talk to him and make sure he's not a crazy guy trying to steal you away," Ben told her, nodding his head before striding down the yard to Puck, hands on his hips and scowl in place. Oh yeah, if this guy wanted near his mom, he better not be crazy.

Quinn laughed and shook her head, heading into the kitchen so she could watch, without technically watching them. She prayed Puck would be kind to her son. Ben really needed friends, not another man to boss him around and try to change who he was. She knew Puck though, and she knew he would be sweet to her son, even if he didn't want to be.

"Who are you?" Ben asked, jumping up onto the porch and heading over to Puck, sitting down next to him. "If you're here to steal Mom away, I have superpowers to stop you," he warned, nodding seriously as Puck laughed.

"I'm Puck and no, I'm not here to steal your Mom away. I'm working here, because I like dogs," Puck explained, whistling Duke over to join them, the dog sitting at Ben's feet. "See, Duke likes you."

"How do you know he likes me?" Ben frowned, reaching out to stroke the dog, laughing loudly as Duke licked his hand.

"You'd know if he didn't," Puck teased, winking at him and returning to restringing his guitar, plucking at the strings with a sigh. It was so peaceful and calm out here, just sitting out on an old porch with his guitar and his dog. Maybe this place was where he was supposed to be. "Do you play?" he asked, noting Quinn's son's interest in his guitar.

"No, I play the violin but my Dad says that's for girls. My Dad thinks I'm a loser cause I can't play baseball like the other kids at school do. Mommy says I'm special but I heard my Dad tell her off. Do you think I'm a pansy?" Ben asked quietly, leaning in close to him, arching his eyebrow at the man as if ready to evaluate every word. He really was Quinn's son.

"Violin is awesome, little man. My brother plays the violin and he's just as strong as I am. You're not a loser, kid, baseball is rubbish. Who wants to run around the sand looking for balls anyway? You make music, that's a real gift there, son. Your Mom is right," Puck smiled, ruffling his brown curls. The little boy seemed like a great kid, and he didn't understand why his Dad didn't see that. "You're not a pansy at all."

"Can you show me how to play, too?" Ben asked eagerly, his eyes sparkling in excitement. "You don't have to if you don't want to," he added, used to rejection from his own Dad.

"Sure, come over here," Puck grinned, waving the little boy closer, setting the guitar in his lap. "Put your fingers here and here," he murmured, moving Ben's little fingers into the right places. "Now strum these strings right here."

Ben pursed his lips as he concentrated, strumming the strings that Puck told him to, gasping in surprise at the sound the instrument made, beaming up at Puck who nodded and smiled in encouragement. It amazed him how much the little boy reminded him of Quinn, glad the boy was more her than his father who was clearly an asshole.

"Hey guys, what are we doing here, hm?" Quinn asked with a smile, joining them on the porch, a tray in her hands. "I brought hot chocolate," she offered, setting the tray down and joining them on the floor, a small smile playing on her lips, her grin spreading across her face at the happiness in Ben's eyes when he looked up at her.

"Watch this, Momma!" Ben cried excitedly, looking to Puck who nodded in encouragement before playing the chord for his Mom, waiting for her reaction.

"Wow, Benny, that sounds great!" Quinn praised, pressing a mug into Puck's hands, leaning in close to whisper "thank you," into his ear before pulling back and handing one to her son. She loved to see her baby so happy because of Puck. Maybe she had been too quick to judge her ex, after all.

"Hey, whose car is that?" Puck asked, nodding his head towards the car pulling up outside the main house. "Its a little late for another dog to be dropped off, isn't it?"

Quinn looked over in the direction he had nodded in, her smile freezing before dropping completely as she made eyes contact with Biff who had clearly seen the three of them. Shit. "Ben, why don't you on inside for me ok? You can play with Puck again tomorrow," she urged, her son frowning but shrugging and running off to the house, Gloria meeting him and bringing him inside.

"I came over here to ask you why you didn't call to tell me you picked Ben up from school, but I guess now I know why. Too busy fucking the help, huh?" Biff demanded, storming over to Quinn who swallowed hard before lifting her eyes to meet his.

"Don't talk to me like that," Quinn snapped in response, crossing her arms tight across her chest. "I haven't been sleeping with anyone but even if I had, that's none of your business.

"Really? Its none of my business? I thinks its my business when you're forgetting to keep me updated on _our _son. This is why Ben should be in my custody; you're not cut out to be a mother," Biff spat at the blonde who flinched, cracking his knuckles in response to the glare Puck shot him.

"You wanna talk to her like that again?" Puck asked, raising his eyebrows and stepping forwards. He didn't know where this asshole got off calling her a bad mother after what Ben had told him.

"Puck, its fine. I had to pick Ben up because _you _told him to fight with the other children! He's been suspended because of you and your Neanderthal ways of parenting! He is a child, Biff, you can't tell him to use violence against the other children!" Quinn yelled angrily, throwing her hands up in disbelief. How dare he call her a bad mother after she had done everything she could to raise Ben up.

"You need to stop, Quinn. You know how easily I can take our boy from you? That's my son in there, too, and I won't hesitate to take him. You call me right away next time," Biff scowled at her before turning to Puck, smirking a little at him. "Oh hey, soldier boy. Let me tell you this, don't even try to get into her panties because I will know and I won't think twice about ruining you."

"Biff, leave," Gloria called from the porch, shaking her head at the sheriff. He always had to make things worse for them all, including himself.

Biff nodded and shot another withering glare at his ex wife before getting back into his car, starting the engine and speeding away from them, leaving Quinn and Puck stood in the yard.

"Q, are you ok?" Puck asked, looking down at the blonde who was silently staring after the car, her jaw set and her eyes cold. He didn't understand why she let him treat her like that.

"Thank you for teaching Ben how to play, I know he appreciated that. Goodnight, Puck," Quinn replied, heading towards the house without looking back at him, the door closing behind her.

Puck sighed and rubbed his face for a moment before walking back to his cabin, Duke barking at him before following him inside, curling up beside the bed. He pulled the picture of Quinn from his wallet and placed under a stack of books on his drawers before collapsing onto bed. It was clear to see that he would probably never get the chance to tell her the truth about why he had come here, not with her ex husband causing trouble for her at any chance he got.

Maybe fate wasn't on his side, after all.

* * *

_**Thank you for reading! I promise Puck and Quinn will get closer as the story progresses :) **_

_**Please review and have a wonderful day!**_


	3. Chapter 3

_**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**_

_**A/N: I'm well aware that I suck for not updating but college is pretty stressful! Thank you all for your reviews though, they made me smile. Who saw the salgron selfie? And the "little ook" and #quick? Mark totally runs this ship. **_

* * *

Quinn sighed as she dropped to her knees, tying the laces of her trainers as tight as she could, making sure they wouldn't possibly fall off of her feet whilst she was out running. Running was something that had always cleared her mind, even back in her cheerleading days, and what she needed now more than anything, was a clear mind. It was hard for her, to have Puck around again, to feel his heavy gaze on her whenever she moved, to not be able to fight the urge to watch him every chance she got. A clear mind was what she needed most.

Ben was still asleep and she didn't want to wake him just yet, so she crept out of the back door, knowing her Grams would be fine taking care of her son whilst she took the dogs out for a run. It was a warm day, with clear skies and a gentle breeze, something that made her smile as she hooked the dogs up to their leads, whistling a little as she did so. She half expected Puck to come up behind her and make a comment about her ass in her tight running shorts, but he was nowhere to be seen, something which brought her a little relief. Maybe she would get some work done now without thinking about rolling around in the hay with Puck.

One of the things she loved most about having moved to Louisiana, was that their land was perfectly surrounded by forestry and small rivers and streams, meaning they all had their special, private places to calm down and relax a little. It was a lot better than living in New Haven or Lima where her parents interfered in her life. No. She was done with that, done with the old Quinn. The dogs kept up with her light jog easily and she couldn't keep the smile from her face, running down by the river, frowning a little and stopping as something caught her eye.

There on the rope bridge that crossed the river was a very shirtless Puck, bent over working on fixing the bridge, his muscles tightening and rippling, causing a small moan to escape from Quinn's lips before she could stop it, feeling a little gush between her legs at the thought of those muscles moving like that on top of her. So much for a clear mind.

"Morning, Q," Puck called from the bridge with a warm smile, offering her a wave as he sat back on his heels, letting his eyes roam over her body. Those shorts made her ass look even more delicious than it was, and he could faintly make out her nipples through her skin tight tank top. Either she was cold, which didn't seem right due to the sweat on her forehead, or she was turned on.

Quinn simply scoffed in response and took up running again, decoding to go the long way just to avoid having to pass by him again at any point, heading into the woods with the dogs bounding alongside her. Trust Puckerman to act like he owned the place, flaunting his sexy body and those beautiful muscles of his. Asshole.

Because of his distracting body, it took her almost an extra hour to get home, and she felt like a sweating pig by the time she got to the house, her anger towards Puck bubbling up inside her as she stomped into the house. Having him here was no good for anyone.

* * *

"That man is so annoying! It's like everywhere I look he's-" Quinn cut off from her rant as she noticed Puck sitting at the table, clenching her jaw and glaring at Gloria who grinned, clearly finding it funny that her granddaughter felt awkward around her ex lover.

"Noah was just telling me about what he learned I college," Gloria smiled, lifting her mug of coffee to her lips and taking a fortifying gulp of the warm liquid with a sigh.

"_You _went to college?" Quinn asked, snorting a little and moving to the kitchen sink, running cold water into a glass to gulp down greedily. "Full of surprises, aren't you?"

"Don't sound so surprised, Q," Puck smiled, rolling his eyes and adding sugar to his coffee and stirring it for a moment. "I majored in literature for a few months before enlisting."

"How interesting," Gloria gushed, leaning forward a little against the table, her eyes alight with excitement. "Quinn majored in literature too, until Ben came along. She's a wonderful teacher."

"Used to be, Grams. I used to be a teacher," Quinn answered, her voice clipped and harsh as she washed her glass and set it to dry, staring out of the window for a long moment before sighing. "I used to teach, and now I'm nothing," she muttered, turning on her heel and leaving the room, her footsteps heavy against the stairs.

"Don't worry about her, son. She gets a little upset now and again over not teaching any more. Tell me about you, about the army. What did you do? How many deployments?" Gloria asked softly, biting her lip a little, Puck catching the resemblance between her and Quinn for a split second.

"Well, ma'am, I joined the army after Finn passed away. I needed someone to straighten me out, a reason to be better, I guess, so I joined the army. It was great, I had friends, people that knew my whole history and didn't judge me for any of it. I felt like I belonged, you know? Like I had a family, a home. I was deployed four times before I was discharged, ma'am," Puck smiled, pride clear to hear in his voice as he spoke. He was proud of the things he had done and achieved in the army and he hoped Finn would be too. And maybe even Quinn, but she was never proud of him.

"Drake used to say the exact same thing when he came home on leave. You remind me a lot of him, actually, maybe that's what Quinn has trouble with," Gloria mused, tapping her chin a little.

"If you don't mind me asking, who is Drake?" Puck asked, frowning a little. He had never heard of a Drake before, and he was pretty sure he knew every one in Quinn's family. They all hated him with a passion for taking her innocence.

"Drake is my grandson, Quinn's brother. She didn't know until she came here one night looking for help and Drake answered the door to her. He knew he she was, of course, as I had told him as much as I could about his sister. You see, Drake was born two years before Quinn was, as Judy had had an affair with another man. She had been told by Russell to give Drake up for adoption, so I took him instead. Quinn didn't take it well at first. She was angry with us all for keeping him from her and then when she found out she was expecting Ben, she cut Judy and Russell out of her life, coming to live here with us. Drake joined the army, too. Only, he wasn't as lucky as you were," Gloria explained, sighing a little and nodding her head towards a picture on the wall of a pregnant Quinn with a man that looked a lot like her. Drake.

"I'm so sorry. I had no idea," Puck sighed, rubbing his face and pinching the bridge of his nose. It made sense to him now why Quinn had been so cold and hostile towards him when she found out about his job. And also why he had found Quinn's picture out in Afghanistan. She must have given it to her brother, to keep him safe. But it hadn't.

"It's ok, I know Quinn has it harder than I do. I raised him, I had known him his whole life. Quinn got two years with her brother and I know she blames herself for her parents giving him away. Reminds her of giving Beth up, and after hearing how abandoned Drake felt, I know she hates herself for giving your daughter up. It's hard for her, for us all, but things get better in time," she smiled, patting his hand a little.

"Q did the best thing for Beth. She's done nothing wrong."

* * *

"Come on baby, your Dad is gonna be here soon," Quinn urged, tickling her son's belly as he took his time getting dressed, clearly not interested in going to Biff's house today. She couldn't blame him, really.

"I want to stay at home today, Mommy," Ben grumbled, reluctantly letting her pull the sweater onto him, pouting as she brushed through his curls. He would rather stay at home with his Mom and Puck. At least they didn't mind his violin practice.

"I know, Benny, but Daddy really wants to see you," she sighed, stroking his soft little cheeks. She would keep him here with her if she had her way, but that wasn't part of the agreement. Ben was hers, but anytime Biff wanted to take him out, she had to agree to it. Or she would lose her son, and she couldn't let that happen.

"I'm not supposed to call him that, Momma. He said it's what little girls say and that I have to call him father now," Ben told her, turning his head to kiss his mom's thumbs, enjoying the smile that lit up her face in response.

"You can call him whatever you want, baby. But no bad words," Quinn laughed, spotting the naughty little smirk that crossed Ben's lips in response, pulling him into a hug. "I love you, Ben. You're my special thing, and I'll always be here for you."

"I love you too, Mommy," he mumbled into her neck, tightening his arms around her, their cheeks close together as she held him close. He loved the way his mom smelt, and the way her body was so warm and soft against his.

Quinn smiled a little and held him closer, stroking her fingers through his curls absently, staring off at the wall. She wished she was strong enough to stand up against Biff, but she couldn't risk losing her baby again. Losing Beth had broken her in ways she still hadn't been able to fix, and she couldn't do that again.

"Quinn! Biff is here!" Gloria called up the stairs, spotting the Sheriff's car pulling up outside the house, the solidly built man getting out of it. God, she hated that man.

"Come on, baby," Quinn sniffed, grabbing her son's bag and taking his hand, leading him down the stairs, ignoring Puck who was still sat at the table, biting her lip a little as she led her child out to his father. She really hated letting him go.

"Hey, Benny! Are you ready for baseball today?" Biff grinned, ruffling his son's hair and tossing his bag carelessly into the backseat. It was the baseball game that involved every police officer's kid today, and Ben would be the best. He would make sure of that.

"Sure," Ben nodded, squeezing hard on his mom's hand. He couldn't play baseball like the other kids, couldn't hit the ball with the bat the way others could. His dad would get mad at him and he didn't want that.

"Baseball? Isn't that a little too much for him? He's only five," Quinn argued, helping her son into the car and closing the door, hoping he wouldn't hear the two of them arguing. She knew what life was like growing up hearing that.

"It's baseball, Quinn. I'm not sending him off to the army," Biff sighed, rolling his eyes at her and leaning against the hood of his car, catching the flash of hurt in her eyes at the army reference. Good. Maybe she would keep her mouth shut in future.

"I never said you were, I just think you should take it easy on him. He's just a little kid, Biff. You shouldn't force him into things so much, especially when he doesn't want to do them. Sometimes I think you forget how young he is," she frowned, crossing her arms tight over her chest to try to maintain some sort of authority and dignity.

"You need to learn to let the kid breathe, Quinn. He is not you and he is not your little Beth. Ben is my son, and I'll do what I want. If you wanted a daughter, you should've kept the one you made when you spread your legs in the backseat for some random guy. Stop trying to turn our son into her. He will never be her," Biff snapped before getting into his car, the tires crunching against the gravel as the car sped away from the house.

Quinn stared after it for a long moment before letting the tears finally fall, hearing footsteps behind her on the porch and knowing it was him without looking.

"He had no right to say that to you, Quinn," Puck told her, walking up behind the blonde who he knew would be upset just from the mention of their daughter, let alone from the way Biff threw her in her face like that.

"Don't you get it? He has every right in the world. Over me, over my son. He controls us both," Quinn whispered, sniffing a little but not wiping away her tears. Puck had seen her cry enough times before now, anyway.

"He shouldn't. You shouldn't let him do this to you. You're better than that guy! Strong enough to stand up for yourself, Quinn," he sighed, wanting so badly to touch her, but knowing that was out of bounds for their current relationship.

"I'm not."

* * *

Puck finally found her later in the barn, sat in the same place she had been the last time they were here, minus the cigarette. He was worried for her, not able to understand why she let herself be ruled over by that asshole.

"Mind if I join you?" Puck asked, gesturing to the seat beside her, the blonde looking up at him for a moment before sighing and nodding.

"I know it doesn't make sense to you, but I have to do what I do to keep my child. You know how much it hurt us to lose Beth. I can't lose my son, too. It sounds we weak and you know what? Maybe it is. But if weak keeps my son with me, if weak allows me to be his mother, then I'll be the weakest person out there," Quinn breathed, closing her eyes and tilting her head back a little, a sigh leaving her lips.

"Is that why you don't talk to me?" he asked, arching his brow a little, leaning his back against the wall. He hadn't expected Quinn to welcome him into her arms, but he hadn't expected her to coldly shut him out, either. It was like junior year of high school all over again, like he wasn't even on the same wavelength as her.

"I do talk to you, just not often. That's nothing to do with Biff, that's because there is nothing for us to talk about besides our past and we both know that doesn't do either of us any good," she replied, picking up her water bottle from the floor and taking a long gulp. There was nothing for them to talk about really, as they were far too involved with each other.

"We could talk, you know. We used to be able to talk about things, back when we were in school," he reminded her, remembering the many nights even when she wasn't pregnant that they would sit up all night talking, either face to face or on the phone. He missed talking to her, more than he had initially thought.

"Fine, lets talk. I have a brother, did you know that?" she asked, looking over at him, a small smile tugging at her lips. "My Mom slept with someone else and she got pregnant with Drake. When he was born, she gave him up right away, didn't even look at him. Grams adopted him, took care of him, raised him up without ever telling my mother. I'm glad of that. She ruined me and I'm glad she never got the chance to ruin him. Of course he didn't think so, and he hated me the first time we met. Said he wished he had been in my place, wished I hadn't been born so our mother would have come to find him. Eventually he realized that would never have happened and he came to visit me in Yale, the day I found out that I was pregnant."

"Wow. Does Frannie know? Did you ever tell her about him?" Puck murmured, crossing his legs under him, loving the way her eyes shone as she spoke about her brother. He was so glad she had had a sibling that cared for and loved her like her sister never had.

"Mmm, of course she knows, she just doesn't care. Daddy's money is too important to her to come visit a half brother, or the sister that got knocked up at sixteen. She doesn't know about Ben and I want to keep it that way. He's never met any of my family and I don't ever want him to. That's why I haven't been back to Lima since he was born," Quinn shrugged, toying with the skirt of her dress.

"Except for the night we slept together. Ben would've been two then, right?" Puck asked, catching the way she bit her lip at the reference of their night together. It had happened one night out of the blue and he for one didn't regret it. Quinn had shown up in tears to his house when he was on leave and there were no words spoken, Puck using his body to comfort her the way words couldn't. He never did find out what had upset her so much she came running to him, as she was gone when he woke up. "Can I ask you something? Why did you come to me that night? Why did you leave without saying goodbye to me?"

Quinn sighed and shook her head a little before getting to her feet, the sunlight making her golden hair shine as she paced a little, her lips pursed. "I came to you that night because I felt like I was alone. Drake was overseas, Ben seemed to hate me, Biff was trying to sue me for custody yet again and I wanted to feel something. You were always the one that made me feel something, even if I didn't want to and at that point you were the only person I wanted to run to, so I did. I left the next morning because I felt guilty for using you to take away the pain for a night and I didn't want to face up to what we did. If Biff had have ever found out, Ben would've been taken from me and I felt awful for not considering him before falling into bed with you. It was selfish and it won't ever happen again."

"Its not selfish to want to feel something, Q," he told her, getting to his feet also, brushing the hay from his jeans, Quinn watching him with misty eyes. "Its not selfish to think about yourself for once, to think about taking care of yourself for once," he murmured, stepping up close to her, bringing his hands up to cup her face, Quinn letting out a shaky breath in response, her eyes widening a little. "Come here," he smiled, opening his arms for her, Quinn shooting him a sceptical look, biting her lip a little before offering him a weak smile and stepping into his arms, letting him hug her close to his chest. "We can be friends, you know."

"Friends? We've never been friends," she snorted, rolling her eyes and letting her arms wind around his waist, her chin on his shoulder. She couldn't remember the last time someone other than her son had hugged her and she felt a little cheated, to not have been experiencing comfort for herself.

"We could be," he shrugged simply, offering her a smile. "Friends?" he asked, breathing in her perfume.

"Yes. Friends," she whispered, nodding her head a little and letting out a small laugh, tilting her head up to see him better, admiring the way his face had changed since she last saw him. His jawline seemed more defined than ever, what with the light stubble grazing the tan skin, his dark eyes as warm and inviting as always, and his smirk as devastatingly sexy as could be. Puck really was beautiful and her eyes couldn't help but fall to his lips, licking her lips a little at the thought of tasting those lips again.

"You're special, Quinn, you know that. You don't need anyone else to dictate who you are and what you do," he murmured, his voice low and husky, unable to stop his hands from tightening a little around her as he stared at her perfectly pink, pouting lips. They were friends, finally, and he shouldn't be thinking things that would ruin that but god dammit she was beautiful.

Without either of them noticing, the atmosphere had changed, Puck's hands feeling heavier and hotter on her body than they had a moment ago, despite her dress separating their skin. Quinn slowly lifted her eyes to his, staring into the dark brown orbs, marvelling at the swirling of emotion, feeling like she could get lost in his arms, yet somehow she would still be safe and cared for. It was a Puck thing, as his eyes had always had that effect on her.

"You still think that?" she asked, her voice raspier, sexier than she had meant it to be, her fingers toying with the hair at the nape of his neck absently, leaning a little closer to him, close enough to feel his breath warming her cheek.

"No. I know that," he muttered, stroking along her cheek, feeling the softness of her skin beneath his finger tips, the blonde leaning into his touch with a small smile. She was special, more so than anyone else he had ever met. Sure, Berry had that Broadway kind of special going on, but Quinn was special. Pure and simple. She didn't need a man, a baby, or talent to make her special.

Quinn smiled at that, her eyes falling to his lips, then back to his eyes, then back again, biting her lip a little as she leant in close, her nose nudging against his as he tucked her hair behind her ear. Puck could taste her breath on his lips and it was addictive, feeling her fingers in his hair as her lips parted and her eyes closed, their faces leaning in close until their lips brushed against each other and they-

Suddenly, Quinn tore away from him, running out of the barn, her hair bouncing as she ran across the gravelled drive. He had heard the tires of a car and hadn't really thought much of it with Quinn being about to kiss him, but now he saw that it was Biff's car that had interrupted them. And Ben, who was clutching a blood soaked sock to his nose.

Shit.

Quinn ran as fast as she could to get to her son, seeing the blood had splattered onto the oversized baseball uniform that her baby was wearing. "What the hell happened?!" Quinn demanded angrily as she stormed up to them, pulling Ben into her arms and pulling the blood soaked sock from his little hands, tears in her eyes as Ben stared down at her, blood streaming from his nose.

"Its just a little nosebleed, Quinn. He's fine, stop smothering him," Biff sighed, rolling his eyes and shaking his head at her. "Ben couldn't stop the ball properly and it caught him in the face. It barely hit him, babe, calm down."

"Calm down? Calm down?!" Quinn screeched, glaring at the idiot she had once been married to. "You forced my child into getting hit in the face with a baseball, his nose could be broken, and you're telling me to calm down?!" she shouted at him, turning her attention back to her baby, wrinkling her nose up at the sock that Ben had been given to stop the bleeding. "A sock? Seriously?! You couldn't even give him a damn tissue?! What the hell is wrong with you?!"

"I stopped the ball, Momma," Ben told her with a lopsided grin, trying to divert his mom's attention. He didn't want to make her mad or make her shout.

"I know you did, sweetie. I want you to go wait for me in the bathroom, ok? Mommy's gonna come right up and give you a bath," Quinn smiled, sniffing a little and kissing his dirty cheek. How dare Biff hurt her baby like this, trying to force him into being the athletic child he wasn't. Ben nodded and gave her a tight hug before running off towards the house, leaving Quinn with Biff. "You fucking crazy son of a bitch, how dare you let my son get hurt like that!" she shouted, shoving at Biff's shoulder, angry tears in her eyes. "Why can't you accept that Ben is not like you?! He doesn't like sports, stop trying to make him into someone he isn't!"

"Watch your tone, you spiteful little bitch. If you hadn't smothered Ben with so much affection, he would have been able to catch a fucking ball," Biff snapped back at her, looking her over in disgust. "But then again, you have to have someone to put all your damaging love into, right? Who else would want you? You used to be something special, you used to be the sexiest woman in this place, but now you're nothing but a frumpy old housewife. Except you're not a wife, are you? You were lousy at that, just like everything else you do."

"You don't get to talk to me like that. Get out, before I stop you having access to my son," Quinn spat, anger bubbling up inside her. He had no right to call her names and poke fun at her situation, after he was the one to put her here. She would've been fine raising Ben on her own, she would've been fine being an unmarried mother, but no. He had used her guilt and her religion to trap her into marrying him and now, as his ex-wife, she was still trapped under his thumb. No other man would touch her now, knowing Biff would ruin them , just like he had ruined her. "Get out."

"Really, Quinn? _You_ think you can stop me seeing Ben? I can take that boy from you with my eyes closed. I have everyone in this town on my side and who do you have? No one but your Grandma and soldier boy. Its pathetic, actually. You know, maybe we could come up with another arrangement. You might not have it anymore, but that ass of yours, we could find a use for that, babe. You don't give me others, slut," Biff laughed, grabbing her arm roughly and yanking at her, the blonde stumbling and letting out a yelp of pain.

"Let go of me, Biff. You're hurting me, let go," Quinn whimpered, trying to pull her arm free of his bone crushing hold, tears of pain springing to her eyes.

"You should do as she says, or you and I are going to fall out, copper boy," Puck interrupted, leaning against the wall of the reception, nodding his head towards Quinn's arm. He was barely controlling the urge to beat the life out of this asshole for hurting Quinn and her son, but he knew it would make things worse for her. "Let go of her."

"I'll be in touch," Biff told Quinn firmly, shoving her a little as he let go of her arm, Quinn tripping over her feet and falling, Puck managing to catch her before she hit the ground. "Good luck, Quinnie," he smirked before getting into his car and pulling away, his tires squealing against the gravel.

"Are you ok?" Puck asked worriedly, helping Quinn to her feet and examining her face, her arms, her knees. "I'll kill him. I swear to God, I'll kill him," he muttered, brushing his fingers over the angry red mark on her arm from Biff's hold.

"I need to go bath Ben. Thank you, for defending me," she whispered, offering him a small smile, brushing her fingers along his cheek before heading for her house, wrapping her arms tight around herself to keep in the tears. Biff had humiliated her in front of Puck and he had made her feel like nothing again, after Puck had made her feel special. Maybe that's what she got for letting herself believe in someone else's words when the truth was that she was nothing anymore.

* * *

"Are you mad at me, Mommy? You're not talking," Ben frowned as Quinn helped him undress, holding onto her shoulders to steady himself. He hoped Quinn wasn't upset with him; he had only been trying to make his father proud like the other childrens parents were.

"No, Benny. I could never be mad at you, sweetheart. Not ever. I'm mad that I wasn't there to stop you from playing that game," Quinn sighed, kissing his little cheeks and helping him into the bathtub, keeping hold of him until he was sat in the warm water before collecting his dirty clothing.

"I wanted him to be proud, that's all," Ben told her, grabbing his scuba diving toy figure and plunging him into the bubbly water. "Is Puck still here? Do you think he'll show me another chord?"

"I'm proud of you baby, without the sports. Who you are is perfect already," she murmured, leaning in to kiss his hand, pouring water over his hair. "I'm sure Puck would love that if he's not busy working," she smiled, knowing it was true. Puck wouldn't mind spending time with her son and she was glad Ben had a male figure around that so far appeared to be doing him a lot of good.

"I heard Dad on the phone earlier when I went to get a juice box, was he talking to you?" Ben asked after a long moment, making sounds from his mouth as he flew his scuba diver through the air before plunging him back into the water, grinning at his Mom as bubbles splashed around him.

"No, sweetie, I've been working today. Why?" she asked, pursing her lips a little and squirting shampoo into his wet curls. She had a feeling she knew why her son was asking, as it wasn't like her ex husband shared the same lifestyle she did. Whilst she hadn't had sex since the time she slept with Puck, Biff was sleeping with anything with boobs. If she so much as kissed another man, she had the courts threatening to take Ben from her. She wished she had never married Biff, never let him have the hold that he did over her and over her son.

"I heard him talking on the phone to a girl about looking forward to seeing the things she could do with her lips, again. I thought it was you, cause you and Dad used to kiss sometimes," Ben shrugged, more concerned with Captain Scuba Diver and his bubble mission than who was on the phone to his father. It wasn't like he wanted his parents to be together. He liked having his Mom to himself, and besides, she was happier not being with him.

Quinn clenched her jaw angrily and took a deep breath before forcing a smile onto her lips, lathering the bubbles into her son's hair. It wasn't like she was jealous, because she really, really wasn't. Biff could get blowjobs from every woman in town as far as she was concerned, but she didn't want her child overhearing conversations like that. "It wasn't for me, sweetheart. What do you want for supper tonight? I'm sure we can get Nana to order in a pizza," she offered, aiming to distract her son from what he had heard. She prayed it didn't upset him, that he didn't still long for her and Biff to be together.

"Can we invite Puck? Maybe then he can show me another chord?" Ben asked hopefully, pouting a little at his mother, batting his eyelashes at her. "It'll make my nose feel much better," he grinned, knowing exactly how to get what he wanted from his Mom.

"Its a little late, don't you think?" Quinn replied, arching her brow at him as she rinsed the bubbles from his curls. In truth, she wasn't quite sure she could look Puck in the eye after they very nearly kissed in the barn. She didn't know what she was thinking, as kissing him would ruin the friendship they had decided to form. Maybe it was best Biff interrupted them when he did, before they did something that would ruin them again. "Fine," she relented, seeing Ben's pout, "he can join us for pizza, but that's it."

"I'm ready to get out, now," Ben announced, thrusting his arms up into the air, Quinn laughing and lifting his little body out of the tub and setting him down on his feet, picking the fluffiest white towel and drying him off with it. "I look like an ice cream, or a snowman, or a Yeti," he smirked, eyeing his reflection in the mirror as his Mom bundled him up in the towel.

"A very cute, fluffy little snowman," Quinn smiled, lifting him into her arms. He was probably too old, and too big for her to be carrying, but she didn't care. There would come a day when her son didn't need her anymore, and so she savoured every little moment and treasured it in her heart. "I love you," she murmured into his damp hair, carrying him from the bathroom and down the hall to his room.

"I love you, too, Mommy," Ben mumbled, holding on tight to her.

That's all she ever needed to hear.

* * *

"Feeding an army there, Q?" Puck teased, eyeing the stack of pizza boxes in Quinn's arms as she walked towards him, dumping the bags of dog food down into a pile.

"Everybody wanted different toppings, so it was easier to just get one each. Ben wanted me to come ask you to join us, seeing as he's just had a bath and I won't let him outside. I got a vegetarian one for you, extra onions, right?" Quinn asked, offering him a smile as she nodded her head at the boxes in her arms. She felt the need to thank him for defending her, even though she hadn't been the best company to have these past few days. "I'd like it if you joined us."

"I have to finish unloading the truck," he sighed, hooking his thumb over his shoulder at the beat up, rusty, old red truck parked outside the barn. "And Duke is getting a little antsy, so I'm gonna have to pass, sorry."

Quinn sighed and bit her lip a little, glancing over at Duke who was curled up asleep in the corner. Liar. "Look, I know I haven't been the best company to be around, and I know I haven't been giving you a fair chance, or maybe you feel like I don't want you here. I'm sorry, Puck. I'm just stressed because of Biff and his shit and I figured you were an easier target than myself. Ben really wants you to join us and truthfully, so do I. You said you wanted us to be friends, right? Well I'm here now, telling you I want that too. Leave the bags, they can wait till tomorrow. Join us."

"I am kind of hungry," he smiled, Quinn cracking a smile in response as he whistled for Duke to follow them towards the house. "And you haven't been _that _bad. You're worse when you're pregnant," he teased, winking and dodging the slap she aimed his way, taking the boxes from her and carrying them instead. She looked pretty damn tired, and he figured being a single mom with an asshole ex would do that to a person.

"Hey, you were the one that got me pregnant with her. The least you could do was pick your underwear up from the floor," she grumbled, sticking her tongue out at him and pulling the door open, stepping into the warm house.

"Puck! I saved you a seat!" Ben grinned, patting the space next to him at the table. The table was big enough to house six people, but he didn't say anything, glad that Quinn's son liked having him around.

"Good one, buddy. What did you get on your pizza, huh?" Puck asked, dropping into the seat beside the little boy, taking the plates Quinn handed him and setting them out as she opened up the boxes.

"The meat mania! I wanted a lot of bacon, but I like meatballs too so Mommy showed me this one. Its awesome, but I asked them to put extra onions on it," Ben explained, his voice very serious, causing Quinn to burst out laughing as sat down on the other side of her son, opening up her own pizza.

"Onions are a very serious matter, Q," Puck told her, smirking as he bit into his slice of pizza, Quinn pursing her lips a little to hide the smile that wanted to get free. "Its man food. Us men need our onions, ain't that right, Benny?" he asked, the little boy nodding his head and laughing at his mom's expression.

"You look like you bit a lemon, Momma," Ben giggled, chewing happily on his pizza, feeling strangely proud as Puck almost wet himself laughing beside him. It felt good to have someone other than his Mom and his Nana find him funny.

"Five minutes around my child and he's insulting me. Good going, Puckerman," Quinn scolded, grabbing a knife and fork to start cutting her pizza into smaller pieces. It was a habit she had picked up during Yale and it had never really left her.

"You're cutting up _pizza_?" Puck cried, his eyes wide, looking as if she had started cutting up a puppy or something. Who in their right mind cut up pizza?! "Come on, Fabray, eat it like a man," he urged, grabbing a slice of her bacon covered pizza and holding it out to her.

"I'm not a man, Puckerman," Quinn frowned, putting down her fork and pouting at Ben who was clearly on Puck's side on this. Typical.

"You're not an elderly woman with no teeth, either. Eat it like a person," Puck ordered, poking her pouting pink lips with the food, waggling his eyebrows at her. She would do it, he knew she would. "Good girl!" he praised as she leant in and took a bite of the slice he held in front of her face, Ben clapping his hands and laughing hysterically between them. "Fabray, you got a little on your nose," he laughed as she pulled away, spotting the small blob of ketchup on her nose and expecting her to run screaming for the hills.

Instead, she poked her tongue out and somehow managed to lick the sauce from her nose, the two boys staring at her with wide open jaws and she smirked and went back to eating her pizza.

"How did she just do that?" Ben whispered to Puck, leaning into him a little, eyeing his mother with pursed lips. "Is she part lizard?"

"No idea, man. Make sure you eat your veggies up next time she cooks dinner, or she'll lick your nose clean off," Puck warned, winking at Quinn as the little boy swallowed hard and started stuffing the peppers he had previously taken off of his pizza, into his mouth as Puck sat back with a satisfied smile.

"_Thank you," _Quinn mouthed, watching her son eat up the red vegetables he hadn't eaten since he was a baby. Puck simply winked at her in response, the blonde blushing a little and returning to her food as she felt Puck's foot bump into hers, reminding her of how they used to play footsie under the table a long time ago.

Gloria watched from the doorway as the three laughed and joked over their pizzas, a warm smile playing on her lips as Quinn threw her head back laughing at something Puck had said, Ben throwing his arms around both their necks and yanking them into a bone crushing hug, cheeks squashed up against the little boy's. They looked like a family, a _happy _family.

She only hoped fate would work things out for them, as it had failed to do so in the past. Maybe, they could finally be the lucky ones, she hoped, watching the sheer happiness glowing in her granddaughter's eyes.

Or not, the happiness quickly fading from the blonde's eyes as the phone rang loudly, knowing it would be Biff or one of his many lawyers trying to contact her. No one else ever rang their house phone.

Fate had never really been one to take favour in them.

* * *

_**Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed. Do you think Quinn and Puck will see what Gloria sees for them? **_

_**Please review, and have a wonderful day :) **_


	4. Chapter 4

_**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**_

_**A/N: I know, I suck for slow updates. Does anyone still read this? Not so sure many people do. For those of you that do, enjoy..**_

_**Oh! And to the two guest reviewers that asked for the one shot about Puck being deployed after marrying Quinn, I'm working on it ;)**_

* * *

Puck smiled happily as he made his way across the gravelled drive, Duke trotting alongside him with a stick in his mouth. Last night had been great, spending time with Quinn and Ben over pizza. He couldn't remember the last time he had been that happy, and he was glad Quinn had taken the first step to forge a friendship between them. It was usually his job to do that.

He had initially thought that spending time with Quinn and her son would be painful, would remind him of their little girl. And it had, but it hadn't hurt. Somehow, it had taken the edge off of losing Beth. A family night like that was what he had always wanted for him and Quinn and their daughter, but Ben was a great kid and the night had been everything he had wanted. Well, almost. If he had had it his way, he wouldn't have gone back to his cabin. He would have gone with Quinn to put Ben to bed, and then he would have gone with her to her bedroom and kiss her until she couldn't remember any of the pain Biff had caused her.

But he shouldn't be having those thoughts. Not anymore. He was finally on his way to being friends with Quinn, and he didn't want to do anything to jeopardise that. Having sex dreams, and wanting to kiss the blonde wouldn't be the best way to do that.

Puck pushed open the door, grinning at Ben who looked up from his chessboard and smiled happily at him, slipping off his seat to come and pet Duke. It felt pretty good to be greeted by Quinn's son with a smile like that.

"Hey, buddy. What are you up to?" Puck asked, ruffling Ben's brown curls and dropping down into a chair. Ben definitely had Quinn's hair, even if it wasn't blonde. Quinn's hair would go curly instantly whenever it got wet, and he was glad to see the little boy was a lot more of his mother than his father.

"I'm practicing chess so I can beat Mommy again. She always wins at monopoly but she's real bad at chess. I can't let her get ahead of me," Ben whispered, trying his hardest to wink at Puck as he climbed back up onto his chair, moving one of the black pieces across the board. "Do you like chess? Dad says its for girls, but Uncle Drake used to play with me all the time," he smiled, glancing up at Puck, slightly afraid that his new friend would think he was a loser like his Dad did. Puck didn't seem to mind though, and he was glad of that.

"Your Mom was always the best at monopoly. Chess is great, it means you've got brains, little man," Puck told him tapping the little boy's forehead lightly and leaning in to examine the chessboard for a moment, picking up one of the pieces. "Your Dad probably just doesn't have a clue how to play," he teased, winking at the little boy before using the black piece to know one of Ben's off the board. "Checkmate," he murmured, ruffling his hair and getting up.

"How did you do that?!" Ben demanded with wide eyes, grabbing his chess guidebook and flipping through it in search of the trick Puck had used to beat him. He had never been beaten before. "You know how to play chess, so that makes chess a manly game, right? You have big muscles, so its not for wussies and babies," he grinned, looking up at Puck with admiration in his eyes that made Puck smile in response.

"Real men play chess," Puck whispered, winking a little and looking around the room for Quinn. Usually she was in the kitchen, or the living room. She never left Ben on his own, but for some reason he couldn't see her. "Where's your Mom, little man?" he asked, frowning a little. He hoped she wasn't arguing somewhere with Biff; it wasn't good for her to subject herself to that stress so much.

"Mommy's in the garden, I don't know what she's doing, but she's been out there for ages now. Grams said to just leave her be," Ben told him, grabbing a highlighter and highlighting the section he was sure explained the trick Puck had used on him to win. Maybe he could master that and trick Puck back.

"I'm gonna go check on her, ok little man?" Puck smiled, noting the way Duke sat protectively by Ben's feet, heading through the kitchen to the back door. He could see Quinn outside, attacking the rose bushes with shears, staring for a moment before running out into the garden and sprinting over to her, her pained sobs ripping at his heart. "Hey, hey, hey, shh. Its ok, everything's ok," he murmured, wrapping his arms around Quinn's waist and hauling her away from the ruined bushes, taking her hand in his and prising the shears from her hold as he pulled her down to the ground with him. "Shh, its ok. Talk to me, Q. What's wrong?" he asked, holding her tight as she cried in his arms, her hands clutching at her chest as if trying to hold her heart together.

"H-he p-promised me he w-would come b-back," Quinn sobbed, clutching at the arms wrapped tight around her, tears streaming down her face. "He promised me, and he d-didn't come back to m-me. He's supposed to be here," she cried, letting her body sag in Puck's arms, his chest against her back and his arms keeping her close. He knew what was upsetting her now. It wasn't Biff, it was Drake, her brother. Clearly today held some sort of significance to her. "Its been a year, and it still hurts just as much. I keep w-waiting for him to come through the d-door and walk mud all over the c-clean floors again but he n-never does. Why does it hurt so b-bad?" she asked through her tears, as if Puck had the answers she was looking for.

Puck sighed a little and closed his eyes for a moment before turning her so she was cradled in his arms, holding her close to his chest as she cried. He didn't have the answers- he wished he did, but he didn't. There was never a guarantee to return from war alive, and he had been one of the lucky ones that had. Drake hadn't been. "I don't know, Q. I don't know if it'll ever stop hurting completely, but it'll get easier in time, I promise. Drake is still here with you, baby. He hasn't left you, he never will. Don't cry because he's gone, smile because you got to know him. Why don't you think of something, anything, a memory of your brother that happened out here, huh?" he encouraged, pressing a kiss to her hair and holding her closer, his shirt now soaked in places with her tears.

Quinn sniffled a little and looked up at him, her eyes shimmering with tears, and he swore he had never seen anything as heart breaking as the pain in her eyes at the loss of her brother. Except for the day they gave Beth up for adoption, and she had woken up confused and asking for their baby, only to remember she was gone. He would never forget the pain filled screams and sobs that followed. That night had been the worst he'd ever lived through, having to try to find a way to comfort the woman he loved who cried for the child she regretted ever letting go.

"One time, when I was pregnant with Ben, I couldn't find my book. I'd been reading it every day, so I knew how my baby was growing and what he was doing in there. I had left it on the bookcase, but one day it wasn't there anymore, and Drake had this smug little smile, so I knew he had took it. I fought with him, yelled at him, and still he kept on smiling that smug little smirk at me. He made me come out here with him and it turned out he had taken my book and cemented it into that wall over there that he was building at the time," Quinn sniffed, pointing at the wall across from them, an old white vase perched on top. "He had used my book instead of a brick, and he was so damn proud of himself for doing that. I was so mad, so mad that I actually refused to talk to him for a whole week. I went outside to see the wall, and my book, and I finally saw the funny side of it. Drake was always trying to prank me," she laughed, her tears causing it to come out as a strange hiccupping sound.

Puck laughed at the story, studying the wall for a long moment and grinning as he spotted the book wedged in the middle of the wall. Oh, he could imagine how pissed off Quinn would've been. "He sounds like a great guy, Q," he told her softly, stroking her hair absently as her sobs finally stopped, the blonde letting out a small sniffle here and there. "He wouldn't want you to be hurting like this, babe. He would want you to be enjoying life, and remembering him in a good way instead of missing him and grieving him still. He is still here, in your heart, I promise," he promised, moving her hand and pressing it to her breast so she could feel her heart beating.

"You called me babe," Quinn giggled, and for a moment he wondered if she was drunk. Quinn never giggled. Ever. But it was a great sound, a wonderful sound.

"I've called you babe ever since the day we met, Q," Puck laughed, shaking his head a little and leaning back against the bench, Quinn situated across his lap, her head tucked into his neck as she held onto his waist. He could see a hell of a lot of her thighs, and probably her cleavage if he looked down a little, but right now wasn't the time to be perving on her body. Quinn needed comfort, needed a friend, and he'd be damned if he didn't give her that.

"Hmm," she hummed, wiping under her eyes and breathing in his cologne, feeling warm and comfortable in his arms. Safe. Loved, even. "Tell me a joke, make me laugh," she mumbled, listening to his heart beating quickly and wondering if she had that effect on him. At one point in their lives, she knew for a fact that she did.

"You're gonna have to get a few beers in me before I start telling you jokes," Puck muttered, winking at Quinn who pursed her lips for a moment before smiling up at him.

"Ok, take me out tonight. We'll go get those beers."

* * *

"Mommy, are you ok? You've been in here a real long time," Ben called, knocking on his Mom's door and peering into the bedroom, smiling to see her sat at her dresser, humming as she curled a strand of her hair.

"I'm fine, baby. What's going on?" Quinn asked, glancing up at him in the mirror and wrapping another strand of hair around the curling iron, smiling at him a little. Puck was taking her out tonight for a few drinks and it had been years, literally, since someone had taken her out. None of the men in town took her out, or even talked to her much for fear of Biff who had a habit of ruining any man that talked to her. It felt good that Puck didn't care.

"I helped Grams with the dishes, and Puck let me play with Duke whilst he trained the dogs to sit and stuff. I wanted to come and see you," Ben shrugged, climbing up onto her bed and crossing his legs, watching her with furrowed brows as she wrapped her hair around a metal stick, grinning at the blonde curls that were left from it. He liked it when his Mommy's hair was curly like his. "You look real pretty, Mommy. Are you going out with Dad tonight?" he asked, pouting a little. He wanted his Mom to be happy, but he didn't want her and Dad to get back together and have to spend more time with his Dad.

"Thank you, sweetie. No, I'm actually going out with Puck for a little while tonight. Is that ok with you?" she asked, watching her son in the mirror. She didn't want to upset her son by seeing another man if Ben was still wanting her to be with Biff. She wouldn't ever get back together with Biff, ever, but she would cancel going out with Puck tonight if Ben didn't like it and it upset him. It wasn't like it was a date, anyway.

"Yeah, I like Puck!" Ben grinned, stretching his legs out and wiggling his toes, reaching up to scratch at his hair, his smile growing wider as he thought of something. "Are you going to kiss Puck and make him my new Daddy? Is he your boyfriend?" he asked, arching his brow at her and leaning forward a little. Puck and his Mommy's relationship confused him a little, as he could see they were really good together, but then they pretended not to like each other in that way. It was weird to him.

"No, baby. We're just going as friends," Quinn laughed, smiling and shaking her head a little, setting the curling iron down and fluffing her hair up before reaching for her makeup purse and finding her mascara. If it was only between friends, why was she putting in so much effort? Quinn shook her head a little and lifted the mascara brush to darken her lashes.

"Oh. Well, if you do kiss Puck, I'm ok with it. I can be like that little angel dude with the wings at the pointy springy thing that shoots people and makes them love each other and make babies and stuff, if you want," he offered, jumping up and bounding over to her, grabbing her makeup purse and rifling through it, holding a red lipstick out to her before returning to her bed. "Puck likes red on you," he told her knowingly, sprawling out on his stomach and bringing a bottle of her perfume to his noise, taking a cautious sniff.

"The little _dude_? Since when do you say 'dude', Benny?" Quinn laughed, shaking her head and finishing with her mascara, pursing her lips a little at the red lipstick before turning in her chair to look at her son. "And how do you know he likes it when I wear red?" she asked, arching her brow at the little boy. Maybe she should start listening in on the things he and Puck were saying to each other during the guitar lessons. Red did go well with the dress she wanted to wear, though.

"Puck calls me a little dude, and I know he likes red because whenever you wear red he looks at you real funny, like more than his usual lovey eyes. If you want him to kiss you, you should wear red on your lips," Ben told her simply, shrugging and spraying some of her perfume into the air, gagging a little when he breathed in too much. "If Puck is your boyfriend soon, promise he won't go away? I like him, he's nice to me and listens to me," he smiled, coming over to spray some of the perfume onto his Mom's neck.

"I promise Puck isn't going to stop being your friend," she answered instead, because she didn't really have a response to the rest of what he had said to her. Puck wasn't her boyfriend, she wasn't going to kiss him, but then again they were going out tonight and she had a feeling that it was as more than friends. At least it felt to her that way. If she and Puck did start dating, she wouldn't tell Ben at all until she knew if it was serious or not. She couldn't have another man abandon her son and bully him like Biff had.

"Ok, which dress are you gonna wear, Momma?" he asked, watching her rifle through the dresses in her wardrobe. He liked watching his Mom get ready for something for herself for once. She was a really good Mommy, but she never did anything for herself anymore. It was nice that she was doing so, now.

"I'm not sure, sweetheart. Why don't you go on up and practice your violin for a little while?" she suggested, pursing her lips a little at the dresses she had hung up in her wardrobe. None of them screamed sexy, or even attractive. She really had let herself go after Biff. It would be a small miracle for her to find something to wear at this rate, and she barely had twenty minutes left to get ready. God, was this stressful.

"I love you, Mommy," Ben mumbled, hugging her tight around her legs and smiling up at her. He loved his Momma more than anything or anyone.

"I love you too, Ben," Quinn smiled, kneeling down to pull him into a hug, sighing a little as his arms wrapped tight around her neck, his little body so warm and so soft in her arms.

Ben smiled at that and kissed her cheek before running out of the room, grabbing his superhero cape from her bed on his way out, the door closing behind him. Quinn let out a little laugh at her son's antics before turning back to her closet, settling on a simple white dress that she had had for months, deciding that if Puck didn't accept her the way she was, he wasn't worth it. She had spent years trying to dress to please Biff, and she had had enough of it. Then again, Puck had never really complained about her before. Maybe she should stop judging every man by her ex-husband's standards. With that in mind, she slipped into the dress and zipped it up, applying the red lipstick Ben had encouraged her to wear and heading out of her room.

Tonight was her night, her night to enjoy herself again for once.

* * *

"Grams, I'm going out for a few drinks with Puck. I don't know what time I'll be back but Ben is all ready for bed, he just needs to brush his teeth," Quinn smiled, pausing at her grandmother's bedroom door, struggling to pin her earrings in properly without a mirror. "Its not a date," she added, after seeing the little smirk appear on her face, a knowing light dancing in her eyes as she looked at her from over the top of her book.

"I never said it was, sweetheart," Gloria answered with a little grin, setting her book down and getting up off her bed, stretching a little and sighing. "I'm glad you're going out tonight, especially tonight. It'll do you a whole lot better living your life like Drake would've wanted, rather than sitting in your room crying into your pillow and thinking I don't ever hear," she sighed, arching her brow at her granddaughter and closing the curtains.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Quinn muttered, avoiding her eyes and leaning over a little to check her earrings had gone in the right place and hadn't just torn her ear open or something.

"And your mother is a saint," Gloria snorted sarcastically in response, moving to help Quinn with the earrings, smiling a little. "You're such a beautiful girl, Quinn. I know this year has been a lot tougher for you, but you can't spend your life hiding in the shadows. Its good for you to get out and breathe for once. Puck is good for you, he puts the light back in your eyes," she smiled, stroking Quinn's cheek gently and offering her a small smile. "I know you said its not a date, but don't close yourself off from the possibility of love because of Biff. I have a feeling Puck couldn't care less. This is all up to you, darling. You have to let those walls come down."

"Mommy! Puck's here!" Ben called from downstairs, pulling open the front door and letting Puck inside. "You know, I can totally beat you the next time we play chess," he told the older man with a cheeky grin, crossing his arms across his chest.

"Is that right, son? Why don't you put your hands where your mouth is? Tomorrow, if you lose the game, you're on dog cage duty," Puck challenged with a grin, kneeling before the little boy who smirked and thrust his hand out at him to seal the deal.

"Its a bet," Ben nodded as Puck took his hand, shaking it vigorously and holding on for a moment before letting go. Puck had really nice hands, like Mommy did, hands that felt good and safe.

"You better not be introducing my son to gambling, Puckerman," Quinn warned as she came down the hall into the room, grabbing her clutch from the side. He would be a little worried she was pissed off at him, but he could hear the smile in her voice, and God did she look amazing.

"Woah, Mommy! You look like a princess!" Ben told her, running to hug her tight around the waist, leaning his head on her stomach and looking over to Puck who looked as though he had seen a real live Angel, making him smile a little as he hugged his Mom tighter. He wanted his Mom and Puck to get together so badly, so Mommy would smile as much as she had today, and so Puck would be around to play with him, too.

"You look beautiful," Puck murmured, smiling a little at the light blush that coloured her cheeks, his eyes drawn to her candy apple red lips, fighting the urge to cup her beautiful face and kiss her with all he had. But that wasn't what friends did, and Quinn had made it clear that friendship was what she wanted between them. Nothing more. "These are for you," he added, holding out the bunch of daisies, Quinn smiling happily as she took them from him, brushing her fingers against his in the process.

"You remembered," she smiled, bringing the flowers to her nose for a long moment, Ben stretching so he could smell them, too. Daisies had been her favourite flower ever since she was a little girl and she used to make daisy chain crowns. Most girls wanted roses, but not her. Daisies were simple, white and pure. And she loved them.

"Did you think I would forget anything about you?" he asked, arching his brow at her a little and holding out his arm to her, Quinn smiling a little and taking his arm, hugging it close as they headed out to the car, the chilly wind causing her to turn her body further into his as they walked, Puck opening the car door for her as she got in.

"Are Puck and Mommy gonna love each other?" Ben asked, looking up at Gloria as they watched from the kitchen window, spooning ice cream into his mouth.

Gloria simply smiled to herself in response, leading Ben into the living room to watch a few cartoons before he had to go to bed, the little boy curled up in her lap as he shovelled ice cream into his mouth happily.

She was sure the couple hadn't ever stopped.

* * *

"How long have you lived here?" Puck asked as he set down the drinks on the table, Quinn smiling up at him from the menu she was holding in her hands.

"Since I got pregnant with Ben. Yale wouldn't let me stay if I kept my baby, and Biff has family here, just like I do. It seemed like my best option at the time. What about you? Did you come straight here after you finished your tour?" Quinn asked, taking her drink and lifting the glass to her lips, taking a long sip of the fizzing liquid. Puck had never really told her about the army, probably for fear of upsetting her.

"I didn't finish my tour. There was a night raid, we found a group of Taliban soldiers underground and we took them out. There was a grenade the next day. I was distracted for a split second and that was that, the grenade exploded a few feet away. They offered me discharge and I took it, and went home to Lima for a few days. There was nothing there for me anymore, so I left. My car broke down and your place was the first I found," he explained, smiling at her and glancing around the little bar they were at. It was nice, the windows looking out onto the river, candles lit here and there to give off a friendly glow.

"I'm sorry. I don't think I ever told you that, but I'm sorry for what happened overseas. I'm glad you survived; I would be lost without you here. I mean, I'd have no idea what to tell our daughter if she ever came looking for us," she muttered, sighing and looking out at the river, watching the water for a moment or two before looking back at him, smiling a little at the way he looked at her. "Have you ever seen or heard from her? From Beth?" she asked, her voice breaking a little, as it always did whenever she spoke their daughter's name.

"No. I got a letter from her once when I was in Iraq, but that was it. I haven't seen her since the last time we babysat her together. Shelby called a few times, but I never went to visit. It wasn't fair to you. You're her mother, and you should be given the chance to see her too. Eventually she just stopped calling," he admitted, shrugging a little to try to make her see it didn't hurt him much. It did, but it was easier to handle when he had Quinn around.

"Thank you, for defending me. I've never told Ben about Beth; I think it would confuse him, and he would want to know why he can't play with or meet his sister. And then there's the fact that she's our daughter, and I think that would confuse him too. If we ever get the chance to see her, I will tell him but until then I don't think its a good idea. Does that make me a bad mother? Not telling my son about his sister?" she asked, biting her lip and looking down for a moment. "I'm sorry, we were supposed to be having a good time and I'm dragging up the past," she sighed, rolling her eyes at herself and offering him a smile. "You look really handsome tonight. Blue has always looked good on you," she smiled, nodding her head at the dark blue checkered shirt he was wearing. He looked hot, and she had noticed several women checking him out. He hadn't seemed to, though.

"It doesn't make you a bad mother at all. Ben will understand when he's older, when Beth is older. You and Drake worked out just fine with each other, so don't worry. They're both amazing children, you should be proud. I don't mind talking about the past with you, I mean at least you understand because we've been through it together," he shrugged, taking her soft hand in his and squeezing a little before reaching for his drink. It was a hell of a lot harder to discuss Beth with Artie, or Mike. Quinn understood it all. Beth was just one of the many bonds they shared. "And you look beautiful. Red suits you," he murmured, his eyes lingering on her lips, wondering if she still tasted the same as she had the last time they kissed.

"There is one thing about our past that I wanted to talk to you about, to fix with you. The last night we were together, before I left and you joined the army. I never should have said those things, I never should've thrown the ring back at you. I'm so sorry for that," she whispered, lacing their fingers together and squeezing. That night still haunted her nightmares, how their love making had turned to him proposing to her, to her yelling terrible things at him and then leaving him. It was one of the many things she wished she could change. "If I could go back, I would have stayed," she told him honestly, biting her lip a little.

"Its ok, Quinn. I was angry and hurt for a while, but I've moved past it now. I've changed and so have you. We're not those people anymore, ok? You're you and I'm me," he smiled, brushing his thumb over her knuckles, frowning a little at the police officer in the corner who glared at him. Asshole probably worked with Biff, so he decided to piss him off more, bringing her hand to his lips and kissing her fingers, the blonde licking her lips a little, moisture glistening on her candy apple red lips.

"And we're us," she breathed, leaning into the table a little, their faces close, nudging his nose with hers for a moment, ghosting her lips over the corner of his mouth, so very close to kissing him. His breath was hot and sweet against her lips, and she longed to lean in and kiss him, but she couldn't. That wasn't what friends did. "I want to show you something, come on," she grinned suddenly, pulling away from him and getting up, grabbing her purse.

Puck was a little stunned by how quickly she pulled away from their almost kiss, getting up also and letting her lead him outside, her small hand wrapped tightly around his as she led him down to the docks. There were several fancy boats docked there, but she kept on pulling him with her, until the music of the bar was a distant hum, and they were facing an old little boat.

"This was my grandfather's. Drake used to come up here and drive it down the river when he was on leave. Ben used to love it, sitting out here and just watching the water. It doesn't really work anymore, but it holds a lot of good memories," Quinn murmured, biting her lip a little before climbing onto the boat, heading for the little cabin at the front, Puck following her with a flashlight he had found on the ground of the boat.

"It sounds great, Q," Puck smiled, joining her in the cabin, watching her kneel down to toy with some of the buttons on the console. He had seen boats like this, and maybe if he could just get hold of the right pieces, he could fix it for her. If she had the boat back, she could take Ben out on it herself, or maybe he could take the two of them out. "Come here," he murmured, as he turned the radio on, flicking his eyebrows up at her and taking her hand, pulling her to her feet, loving the little smile that tugged at her lips as she hummed and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Dance with me," he mumbled against her jaw, leading her out of the cabin and pulling her close to him, his hands on her hips as they started to sway a little, the boat rocking a little in the water.

"Dancing beneath the stars? So you are romantic, after all," Quinn teased, her arms around his neck, looking up into his eyes as they moved together, the music soft and the stars shining up in the dark night sky above them. It was perfect, absolutely perfect.

"I'm special and romantic, remember?" he asked softly, one of his hands leaving her hip to cradle her face, brushing his thumb along her cheekbone.

"Yes. You're special, and romantic," she nodded, smiling as he lifted her arm above her head to spin her out before pulling her close again, giggling a little and lifting her hands to tangle in his hair, keeping their faces close. Close enough that she could feel his warm breath on her lips.

Puck smiled at that and kept her close to him, enjoying the feeling of having her in his arms. He had never gotten to dance with her before, as she had always chosen Finn over him for prom and homecoming dances. Her body was so soft, and so warm, and she fit perfectly against his chest, almost as if they had been designed to fit together. She was so beautiful, the stars dancing in her hazel eyes as she smiled up at him, her breath dancing teasingly as they swayed together, her lips moving as she sang along quietly to the song that was playing, shivers shooting up his spine as she toyed with his hair and fit her head into the crook of his neck.

"_Please don't be in love with someone else, please don't have somebody waiting on you,_" Quinn sang, nuzzling into his neck and kissing the skin there. He swore he had never heard anything better than her soft voice singing quietly as they moved, tilting his head a little, his nose fitting in against hers as she leant in, her lips parting.

She wanted to kiss him.

And he wanted to kiss her.

His fingers were so soft against her skin, and she couldn't help but pull him closer to her, letting out a shaky breath as his thumb stroked along her lower lip, leaning into him, trying to show him what she wanted. She wanted to kiss him, wanted to taste him, and he could tell he wanted that too, by the way his heartbeat was thudding quickly beneath her hand on his chest. A kiss would change everything, it would confirm that tonight was definitely a date, and she wasn't sure if she was ready to open herself back up to that. Puck took in a long breath before leaning in, his lips brushing against hers gently, moving in to kiss her fully when suddenly she pulled away, her warmth replaced by the cool night air.

"We should get going. Its late," Quinn told him, her cheeks flushing red as she headed to the cabin to turn off the radio, putting some distance between them. She wanted him, she wanted him so badly and it scared her. It scared her that all the feelings she thought she had left behind, had come rushing back.

"Yeah. Uh, sure," Puck nodded, clearing his throat a little and turning the flashlight off, setting it down on the bench. He wasn't stupid, he knew she was scared. Her eyes told him that much, that she was terrified of being loved and feeling love for someone because of all the rejection she had experienced in life. He shouldn't have tried to push her into feeling something for him again. "I'm sorry," he told her as they climbed the stairs back up to the bar, where the car was parked outside, glancing over at Quinn who was hugging herself as they walked.

"Don't be," she sighed, offering him a small smile and taking his hand in hers, not wanting to trip or stumble over the rocky parking lot floor.

Sure, that's why.

* * *

Quinn laughed as they pulled up outside her house, shaking her head at Puck who had been joking and teasing her the whole way home. It was good, it _felt _good to be with him, to laugh with him. To laugh in general.

"I had a really great time tonight," Quinn smiled, turning in her seat to face him. They had parked out by the reception, by the main road, so that Gloria and Ben had no chance of seeing them or what they were doing. "I haven't had that much fun in a long time, and it felt really good to laugh again. Thank you, for that," she breathed, reaching across the car to squeeze his hand.

"It was my pleasure. Hold on a sec," Puck grinned, winking at her before getting out of the car and closing his door, moving around to pull hers open for her, Quinn arching her brow at him as she got out of the car.

Since when was he a gentleman?

"That ass," he teased, closing her door and looking down at said ass. Oh yeah, her body was just as hot as it had been the last time she let him love her like that.

Oh, now it made sense.

"I want to apologise, for what happened on the boat. Its just, its been a long time since I've kissed or been intimate with someone. Biff has a habit of chasing down any potential lovers, so none of the men in town go near me anymore. I didn't mean to make it seem like I wasn't interested in you, I am, I just-" Quinn cut off abruptly as Puck cupped her face and pulled her in, kissing her with all he had, pressing her back against the car as she kissed him back, her fingers knotting in his hair. He kissed her until they both needed air, Quinn breathless and gazing up at him with swollen lips from the intensity of their kisses.

"You should be kissed every day, every hour, every minute," Puck murmured, stroking his thumb along her lower lip before leaning in and kissing her again, cradling her cheek as she parted her lips for his tongue to find hers, swallowing the moan she let out as his body pressed against hers. Quinn was beautiful, she was sweet, she was perfect, and if none of the men here could see that, it was their problem. He would kiss her every second for the rest of his life if she let him, and by the way she was kissing him back, he didn't think she would disagree with him doing so.

Quinn tore her lips away from his and smirked up at him, licking her lips a little and leaning in so he could hear her. "You know, we're going to have to do this all again," she breathed, wiping away her lipstick from his lips, smiling at the glint in his eyes. Those eyes never failed to make her feel loved, and turn her on at the same time. "You never told me that joke," she grinned, reminding him of the whole reason they had gone out tonight in the first place.

"Allow me to make it up to you," Puck murmured before claiming her lips in another hungry kiss, Quinn moaning and gripping his hair as he pressed her into the car and slid his hand up her side to cup the firm globe of her breast, the blonde letting out a louder, deeper moan as he squeezed the firm flesh and rolled her nipple between his fingers. He had always loved her breasts, and so he left her lips and kissed down her jaw to her neck, finding her pulse and latching on, sucking and kissing at her neck as he kneaded the perfect weight in his hand, Quinn letting out deep, throaty moans to encourage him as she clutched him to her neck. Boy, was he making it up to her. Quinn used his hair to tug him away from her neck, kissing him hard and running her hands down his chest, feeling his bulge against her thigh as they made out against the car. She was glad to feel he was still attracted to her. "Quinn, I-"

But he didn't get any further, as the flashing of police lights pulled them apart, a short, chubby looking man getting out of the car and approaching them with a grim look on his face, notebook in hand. "You two were going at ten miles over the speed limit," he told them, Quinn rolling her eyes. She knew exactly what this was, what was happening.

"Keith? Biff told you to check up on me, didn't he?" Quinn demanded, hands on her hips, shaking her head in disbelief. "See, I told you," she muttered to Puck before turning her attention back to the officer who simply shrugged.

"Its late. You should be getting home, Quinn," Keith told her, though his eyes were firmly set on Puck who stared right on back at him. He wasn't afraid of Biff or his little friends.

"Right, of course," she scowled, shaking her head and offering Puck a small smile before heading off in the direction of her house. She knew it was only a matter of time before Biff had found out about her date with Puck and set someone to intervene. Biff didn't want her, but he didn't want anyone else to have her, either.

"She's more trouble than she's worth, son. You seem like a good guy, a smart guy. Make the smart decision and stay away from her. It won't end well for you if you don't," Keith warned, offering Puck a sympathetic look before heading back to his car. "You have a safe night, son," he added, before getting into the car and driving away, leaving Puck stood by the road.

He had been warned, warned to stay away from Quinn.

Too bad he didn't listen to assholes like Biff.

* * *

Quinn sighed as she closed the front door behind her, locking it and making sure the chain was in the right place before taking off her shoes and heading upstairs quietly. Even if her Grams was still awake, Ben would be fast asleep, and she didn't want to wake him up. Tonight had been a good night for her, and Puck's kisses had brought her back to life in a sense. She swore she could still feel his touch, his kisses, smiling to herself as she touched her lips.

"Well someone looks like a happy bunny," Gloria smirked, causing Quinn to startle and curse under her breath, turning to see her Grams leant against the doorway. "How was it? You look like you had a good time," she teased, deciding not to mention the tell tale mark on her granddaughter's neck that showed just how good of a time she had had.

"It was good. I felt alive again, I _feel _alive again," Quinn smiled, setting her clutch down on her dresser and reaching for the pack of makeup wipes, praying her lipstick wasn't smeared all over her face. It wasn't, thank God.

"You look alive again. I'm glad he makes you happy, I hope you let him make you happy, sweetheart. You deserve someone to love and take care of you," she murmured, picking up a hairbrush and brushing through Quinn's hair as she wiped off her makeup. Oh, how she longed to see her granddaughter be happy and loved again.

"I still have feelings for him," Quinn admitted, pausing in wiping off her mascara, glancing up at her Grams in the mirror, glad to see the soft smile that was playing on her lips.

"_Still? _Sweetie, those feelings have never gone away," Gloria told her, kissing her cheek and leaving the room, leaving her granddaughter alone with her thoughts.

For the first night in years, Quinn crawled into bed with a smile on her face from being loved, from having someone in her life that card for her and wanted her for who she was, not for someone she was pretending to be. Puck had always been that person, and it felt good to not have to hide her feelings for him anymore.

* * *

Biff scowled as he watched the light go out in Quinn's bedroom, starting the engine and slowly pulling away from the shadow of the trees, the gravel crunching quietly beneath the tires. He had seen Quinn and that soldier boy's little date, had seen the way she looked at him and the way he had held and kissed her.

If Quinn thought she could get away with this, with humiliating him by having another lover, she had another thing coming.

Quinn was his.

And if he couldn't have her, no one would.

Especially not her little soldier boy.


End file.
